Beneath the Rising Sun
by Vernydog92
Summary: Horatio reflects on his life and thinks about all his mistakes and triumphs. He has always been proud of his son.  *Horatiocentric*


**Author's Note: **Just a little story in which Horatio reflects back on his life and his mistakes and his triumphs. Enjoy!

**Warning: **Just a little brooding.

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**Beneath the Rising Sun**

A red headed man stood looking out over the sun kissed waves rolling in before him. The sun was reaching its dusk as mixtures of yellows and oranges touched the ocean. He had a pair of dark polarized sunglasses around his neck as his turquoise eyes scanned the caramel colored sand beneath his shiny black shoes. The soft Miami breeze blew the tails of his black dress coat and the collar of his light blue shirt. He was like a statue not moving when the sounds of sirens blared in the city backdrop. It was his meditation time, a time for him to think back on his busy day.

Horatio Caine would come to the beach everyday to just reflect on his life. The Lieutenant of a wonderfully bright and fiery CSI team and the father of a soldier fighting for his country. He was a proud man but was not without flaws or imperfections. These were the things that he would look back on. The memories that continued to haunt his past, present and future. The greatest pressure within his mind was the loss of his friend and fellow CSI Timothy Speedle.

He felt as though he just stood there and watched the man get shot. Everyday he would look back and think about all the things he could have done to save the man from his fate. He could have done this and he could have done that but he didn't. It was as if everything at that moment in time became slow motion and he couldn't go fast enough. Speed's gun simply malfunctioned and that was all that was to it. It was not his fault and Horatio did not blame him, he blamed himself. He blamed himself for being so damn slow and so damn ignorant to what was going on around him.

Then he thought about how many timed he nearly got his other CSI's killed. Eric Delko was shot and almost died several times avoiding death by inches. Calleigh Duquesne was kidnapped and attacked a few times and he wasn't even there for her. There were times though they were few and far between that he questioned his leadership. The question of what would it be like if I was not in charge of the lab was always deep within his subconscious. The one thing that made him stand up to the question was the fact that they constantly looked up to him. Then there was the whole issue of the mentally unstable ex-lover of his. Julia Winston had broken into the lab, put several employees in danger by threatening them with a gun. If it wasn't for him then she would have killed their own sun. Even though she was unstable he still loved her some what and wanted her to get better so that Kyle had a mother. He wanted her to be a part of the kids life.

Then there was his past and his parents that seemed to come to his mind quite often. He always wondered if he did the right thing back then but he had to protect his brother. It was just that killing his own father was not part of the plan. All the nights of him coming home drunk and taking it out on his wife. Unfortunately the man attacked and killed her and then came after his brother and him. In the end it was his father that had to fall in order for them to live. Even though it was self defense the very thought was what bothered him.

Then his thoughts turned to all the positive things in his life and why he still did what he did every day. He always knew that he was meant to protect people, even when he was back in New York as a beat cop. Then he decided to move to Miami and became a Bomb Squad expert training under Al Humphries. The two became the best of friends and helped Horatio became the person he was today. The list of people that made him who he was also included Megan Donner who appointed him as the Lieutenant.

There were so many wonderful people lost but then there were so many people gained. Going back into his memories the red head knew that he would never forget even one of them. They molded him and shaped him into the hero that he was. Some of them were bad people and some of them were good. Even the evil people in his life had affected him in some way even if it wasn't possible. For example there was Clavo Cruz, Antonio Riaz and Rick Stetler. Even though they did bad things they caused a smile to come to Horatio's face.

The man looked down at the sand beneath his feet and then back at the sliver of sun that was left in the sky. The water swallowed up the oranges and yellow until there was a faint blue left. The blue darkened until the stars softly glowed in the sky and the moon hid behind some puffy grey clouds. Horatio turned around and put his sunglasses in his pocket turning his head slightly. He looked at the calm waters and then walked back to his Hummer and got inside closing the car door. He sat for a few seconds before reaching up to the sun-visor and pulled a photo from behind it.

It was a photo of Kyle saluting with an American flag behind him. The desert was also behind him and his uniform was dusty. The Lieutenants eyes watered and in his heart he was truly proud of his son. The greatest job that he ever had was being a father to a wonderful son who loves him. He put the photo back in its place and started the car with a small smile on his face. Then the golden Hummer drove off into the Miami landscape.

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This is a Horatiocentric story. My favorite character on the show and played by my favorite actor...David Caruso! Enjoy my fellow CSI: Miami fans!


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